


Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt 1

by AtowncalledMalec



Series: Tentacletober [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, malec - Fandom
Genre: Cecaelias, Complicated Mating Rituals, First Meetings, Jealous Alec Lightwood, Jealous Magnus Bane, M/M, Mating Dance, Mating Rituals, Octipid, Staking a Claim, Tentacles, Thirsty Mofo's, Unwanted Competition, wild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 04:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtowncalledMalec/pseuds/AtowncalledMalec
Summary: When Alec goes exploring, he doesn't expect to come across a possible mate. But the male Cecaelia that he finds is too captivating to ignore. Will Magnus Dance with him or will he return empty-handed? And can they see off the competition?This work is not to be reposted anywhere else or translated without my permission.





	Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: #2, Under The Sea.
> 
> Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Underhill are all Cecaelia's (Octopid's) in this. A Cecaelia, or octopid, is half-human/half-octopus. (Think Ursula from The Little Mermaid).
> 
> While it isn't necessarily A/B/O, both males and females can carry eggs. Only males can produce and deposit the eggs through Oviposition (for this verse anyway). The 'mate's' or 'mating' that I refer to in this is just the ordinary mating of wild animals and involves all of the intrigues that goes along with it. There are no heats or anything like that.
> 
> I'll be writing a continuation of this chapter in the Oviposition prompt (number 15).

Alec wound his way through the tightly packed crowd, seeking solitude.  _ I thought raves were supposed to be fun _ , he thought, breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the water’s edge. 

Izzy had dragged him to a rave at a hidden lagoon, promising him an amazing night. “You’ll have fun.” She had said. “You might meet a handsome merman.” She had said.

Dancing to shitty music, sweaty bodies pressed up against him, wandering hands groping him, wasn’t Alec’s idea of fun. Especially as most of those wandering hands belonged to females.

Alec supposed it was better than the keg parties she usually dragged him to.  _ Humans have no imagination _ , he thought with a sigh. Every party was the same. Even this one. And this one wasn’t even thrown by humans, but by other Cecaelias; like him and Izzy. 

A few of his fellow partygoers were already lounging in the water, tails, and tentacles gleaming in the dim light. So shrugging his clothes off, Alec sank into the sea, a deep breath escaping him when his lower half transformed with the salt water’s touch. It was getting harder and harder to stay away from the sea. 

Much to their parents’ horror, he and Izzy had decided to take a gap year, living on dry land and blending in with the humans. But he missed the sea, missed the swell of the waves and the way the current would pull at his body. Most of all, he missed his tentacles.

But sinking into the water, they unfurled, transforming Alec’s boring human legs into his seven, five ‘ft long blue tentacles. Stretching the cramps out, relief spread throughout his extra limbs. It felt good to be in his true form once more.

Alec leaned against the rocks, perching his chin on his crossed arms to watch his sister. They were complete opposites in most ways. While she lapped up the attention, dancing with anyone, and enjoying the groping immensely, he preferred to spend time alone, content just to swim and explore the ocean.

The eye-roll she gave him when she glanced up, presumably to see where he had gotten to, made Alec laugh. They were also alike in a lot of ways. The shooing motion that she aimed at him had him swirling away from the rocks, leaving Izzy to her groping.

Relishing the chance to stretch his tentacles, Alec propelled himself under the water. The gills on his neck opened, letting him breathe when he plummeted to the murky depths. 

The lagoon where the rave was being held was uncharted territory for Alec so he decided to explore. Traveling over the ocean floor, he followed when a current flowed over him. It led him to the mouth of an underwater tunnel that led under the rocky walls of the huge cavern.

The distant base of the music flowed with Alec, muted by the water but still pulsing in his veins with the promise of adventure. Darkness encapsulated him when he propelled himself down the tunnel but he saw perfectly fine, used to the murky depths of the ocean. 

Alec emerged into the wider ocean, the water brighter here, grinning when he found unexplored reefs. This was more like it. Much better than being groped by thirsty mermaids. He inspected the coral that was close by, running his calloused fingers over the sharp projectiles and through the floating strands of seaweed.

Alec would have been content to explore further. Up until a shadow passed overhead. Looking up, he saw nothing but a cloud of limbs at first. Or more accurately, a cloud of tentacles. They were mesmerizing, six in all, swirling around as the owner of them twirled. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who wanted to explore.

Propelling himself from beneath the mass of tentacles, Alec swam up, wanting to see more of the limbs, and the owner of them. They were beautiful, iridescent, shining every hue of green, gold, and blue that he could think of. He drank the sight of them in as they unfurled around a fellow male Cecaelia.

Alec couldn’t stop staring when the new Octopid turned to face him. The smile on the male’s face was beautiful and his eyes, slitted pupils surrounded by gold, sparkled when he fluttered his eyelashes. 

The beat of the music that still sounded in the distance took up residence in Alec’s veins when the stranger circled him. Turning on the spot, he followed the movements, mirroring them. He was captivated. 

Magnus swirled around the pretty stranger, his eyes lingering on his breathtaking tentacles, bright blue where they joined the handsome Cecaelia’s torso, cascading down to the color of the ocean at night, at the tips. 

Magnus almost sent out a cloud of hormones when he noticed that his fellow Octopid had seven tentacles. It meant that the pretty male would be able to produce eggs for him to carry, turning the male from an encroacher on his territory into a potential mate. He desperately wanted to touch the beautiful tentacles but he knew he would have to dance his best dance first. 

So Magnus spun, drawing his tentacles in tight, letting them wrap around his body until he was wound tight before he let them splay out around him, showing the stranger what he had. As vain as it might seem, he knew he had beautiful tentacles and wanted to show them off fully. How else was he supposed to attract a potential partner?

Alec didn’t want to be outdone. And if he was to attract the interest of the beautiful stranger, he knew he had to bring his best game. Bunching his tentacles, he shot up in an ark over the male, letting the light from above glimmer off of his scaled tentacles but never breaking eye contact. That was more important than dancing well. He wouldn’t want the potential mate to think he wasn’t interested. 

Magnus mimicked the movements, following the stranger’s ark, letting his tentacles undulate around him when he reached the pinnacle. He thought that this possible partner was definitely interested, those breathtaking hazel eyes hadn’t left him since he’d made himself known.

A few bubbles of laughter escaped Magnus’ gills when the stranger changed tactics. Instead of swimming over him in another ark, his partner spun in circles around him, never quite touching him, as much as he wanted it, but still staying close. 

Magnus twirled in time with the distant beat, matching his pace to that of his new potential mate, to keep the Cecaelia in sight. 

Alec resisted the urge to flex his biceps. The strength of his human arms would do no good here, it was the strength of his tentacles that counted when attracting a partner. And this partner, in particular, seemed very interested. Speeding up, he swam in faster and faster circles, propelling himself with strong beats of his tentacles.

When Alec thought he was going fast enough, he flung his tentacles out in front of him, stopping himself abruptly. He watched the stranger with bated gills, bubbles streaming from his neck when the pretty male inclined his head. It meant that the possible mate was impressed by his speed. Each of his tentacles practically preened as he bent his own head.

Magnus was practically breathless with desire. Sending out a burst of his scent, he waited to see if his possible mate would respond in kind. It was the next step in the dance and if they weren’t attracted to each other’s scents, the dance would stop now.

The musky scent that reached him when his fellow Cecaelia responded with a burst of his own scent sizzled through his tentacles, each one of them dipping in reverence.

Alec inhaled deeply with his gills, a low bubbly moan escaping his lips, the only sound he could make underwater. The scent that his possible mate let off was breathtaking, invading his scent receptors and radiating throughout his entire body, sending shivers through him. Watching the beautiful stranger, he flexed his tentacles when he saw the desire in the other Cecaelia’s eyes. 

Magnus turned to complete the final step of the mating dance when his awareness snapped to another male, approaching swiftly. He had been so caught up in the dance that he’d become unaware of his surroundings. It seemed the scents that they had displayed had attracted unwanted attention.

Forgetting all about the final step, Magnus’ face transformed, screwing up, razor-sharp teeth bared at the male with short, curly blond hair and blue eyes. He didn’t like the way this newcomer was looking at his mate. And the blonde’s gills were twitching. A stream of bubbles escaped with his snarl. 

Alec didn’t even look at the blonde male that approached. He was too busy baring his teeth at his sister, who had followed the newcomer. All reason flew out of the window. Izzy was the light of his life, but she wasn’t having his mate. 

A small part of Alec’s brain registered that Izzy looked as though she was completing her own mating dance. But his instincts were stronger than his brain cells at that moment. All he saw was a threat to his claim on the pretty stranger who had captivated him.

Izzy backed away when she saw her brother’s teeth. Letting her tentacles droop and bending her head, she showed her brother that she was no threat to his claim. She had simply been following Andrew. When Andrew had dissapeared, she had lost sight of him for a moment, unable to tell if he wanted her to follow. So she had followed anyway. 

But Izzy had a feeling it was a lost cause. He didn’t seem to be that into females and had possibly danced with her out of politeness. Letting her gaze drift to Andrew for a moment, she let out a sigh when he swam away without a backward glance.  _ Another one bites the dust,  _ she thought. It had been worth a shot. The memory of a pretty redhead who had danced nearby perked her up. Maybe the female would be interested?

Magnus turned to bare his teeth at the female when the blonde male swam off. He let out a cloud of foul hormones to drive her away too. He didn’t know who she was but he would fight her to stake his claim on his new mate. When the female disappeared, he changed his hormones, once again trying to attract his pretty mate with his scent.

Alec wanted to claim his mate right then and there when that beautiful scent reached him once more. But he had a dance to finish first. Instead of letting his mate take the final step, he whirled in the water and sped off, as fast as his tentacles could propel him.

Magnus waited, forcing his tentacles into submission when they made to follow his mate. His stomach churned. Until his mate looked over his shoulder. A clear invitation. Without wasting any more time, he shot forward, swimming faster than he had ever swum in his life.

Alec’s tentacles shivered when he saw his mate following him and gaining speed fast! His new mate had accepted his challenge, the final step in the dance. The beautiful stranger would have remained behind if he hadn’t invited a chase with one glance over his shoulder. But he  _ had _ looked over his shoulder. And his mate  _ had _ accepted.

Magnus practically thrummed with anticipation. If he could catch up to his new mate, he would have proven his grace, speed, protective instincts, and strength, just as the stranger had proven those things to him. The thought of capturing the pretty stranger lent him the strength to put on an extra burst of speed.

Magnus reached out with his tentacles and wrapped them around his new mate when he reached him, staking his claim. When the hazel-eyed male entwined their tentacles, he tightened his grip and wrapped his arms around his new mate’s torso, pulling him closer.

Alec turned as they rose to the surface, more than happy to be caught. Wrapping his tentacles tightly around those of his new mate, he staked his own claim. 

Alec surged forward as they broke the surface, claiming his new mate’s lips, moaning when the beautiful male’s tentacles slid against his own. The friction was exquisite, especially when his new mate rubbed against his extra tentacle, making his intentions of mating straight away crystal clear.

Magnus sank into the kiss, bruising his lips in an attempt to show his new mate how impressed he was with his display. A sharp gasp of pure pleasure escaped him them his new mate’s tentacles started exploring his body.

“Your tentacles are beautiful,” Magnus murmured between kisses, his own tentacles doing a little exploring. “I’m Magnus,” he said.

“Alec. And they’re nowhere near as beautiful as yours,” Alec said, pulling back momentarily to gaze into Magnus’ eyes, just as beautiful as Magnus’ tentacles were. He rocked forward when one of those pretty tentacles wrapped around his torso, the tip sliding over one nipple as it encircled him.

“I accept you as my mate,” Magnus said, looking into those pretty hazel eyes once more. He was sure he’d never get enough of looking at them.

“I accept you as my mate,” Alec whispered, wrapping one tentacle around Magnus’ torso. The small suckers on the underside of his tentacle marked Magnus as his own, just as Magnus’ suckers marked him across his chest.

Magnus wondered as they sank to the ocean floor to complete their mating; if Alec would be interested in finding a secluded cove sometime so that they could also mate like the humans did.

**Author's Note:**

> If only it was that easy to find a mate in real life.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Won't You Dance This Dance With Me? Pt2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21074495) by [AtowncalledMalec](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtowncalledMalec/pseuds/AtowncalledMalec)


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